Aesthetic Controversy and Narrative Failure: An Analysis of the Causes Behind the Box Office Underperformance of Domestic Mythological Animations

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates the systemic disconnect between aesthetic ambition and narrative coherence in recent domestic mythological animations, identifying narrative failure as a primary driver of box office underperformance. Through comparative structural analysis of ten high-budget productions released between 2019 and 2023, we trace how stylistic innovation-particularly in visual design and mythological reinterpretation-frequently occurs at the expense of character motivation, causal logic, and emotional continuity. The research reveals that audience reception is not primarily hindered by cultural unfamiliarity or technical limitations, but by sustained violations of narrative expectancy: unresolved plot threads, inconsistent moral frameworks, and protagonists whose decisions lack psychological grounding within the story world. These failures accumulate across narrative tiers-from macro-level mythic structure to micro-level dialogue rhythm-producing cumulative cognitive dissonance that erodes immersion and undermines commercial viability. Findings suggest that aesthetic controversy functions less as an independent risk factor and more as a symptom of deeper narrative incoherence, challenging prevailing industry assumptions about the primacy of visual distinction in competitive animation markets.